Grant

Dear Educators of Craven County:
 * __ PIE GRANT __**

PIE GRANTS are cash awards being offered by CRAVEN COUNTY PARTNERS IN EDUCATION to teachers, grade levels, departments, or schools to encourage the development or innovative and creative educational projects. PIE GRANTS are an expression of faith in and support for teachers who are searching for educational opportunities which make an immediate impact on the lives of students and that have the potential of encouraging long-range growth in educational performance.

PIE GRANTS are awarded on a competitive basis and will be reviewed by members of the Board of Directors of PARTNERS IN EDUCATION. **__PIE GRANT applications must be aligned with the school's strategic improvement plan__**. Applications will be evaluated on the following:

• Efficient and effective use of funds; • Innovation and creativity; • Potential for short- and long-term impact on student performance.

PIE GRANT applications up to $1500 will be considered. Funds may be used to purchase equipment or to provide field trip transportation, but not when these are ends in themselves. Equipment and field trips should be a part if a well-planned instructional unit. The material requested also should be an essential part of the total learning experience. **__Equipment and non-consumable materials must be catalogued according to regular procedure and become the property of the Craven County Board of Education__**.

Projects approved during the October cycle must be implemented and completed during the current school year. Applications approved during the February cycle will be funded in the __following__ school year and need to be completed during that school year. Members of the Board of Directors of PARTNERS IN EDUCATION may observe the project during implementation. A final report, including an itemized financial statement and evaluation of the project, must be submitted __within two weeks of completion__. Successful projects will be publicized and descriptions disseminated to encourage duplication by other teachers.

Please return the completed, **TYPED** form, no later than **__October 1 or February 1__**__,__ to:

Craven County Partners in Education 3600 Trent Road New Bern, NC 28562

If you have further questions, please call Jennifer Wagner, Executive Director of Partners in Education, at 252-514-6321,

Sincerely, CRAVEN COUNTY PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

Hydroponics in Space


 * Project Summary - ** (100 words or less) Explain correlation with SCOS objective(s) or School Improvement Plan goals. Tell what you are going to do and how funded items will be used.
 * My students will be “contracted” through the International Space Station to investigate how vegetables can be produced more efficiently by using a hydroponic system. A hydroponic system cultivates plants in nutrient-rich solutions without the utilization of soil. They will set up a hydroponic system and collect data for a four week period. In addition, they will investigate environmental factors on plants grown in the absence of soil; such as pH, aeration, and light. **


 * Goals – ** What are the goals and objectives? What do you hope to achieve? (100 words or less)
 * Goal 1: The learner will develop abilities necessary to do and understand scientific inquiry in the earth and environmental sciences. **
 * Objectives: **
 * 1.01 Identify questions and problems in the earth and environmental sciences that can be answered through scientific investigations. **
 * 1.02 Design and conduct scientific investigations to answer questions related to earth and environmental science. **
 * 1.06 Identify and evaluate a range of possible solutions to earth and environmental issues at the local, national, and global level including benefits of technological advances. **


 * By the end of this unit, I would like for my students to understand there are alternative ways to grow vegetables. In addition, they should conduct scientific investigations and collect valid data to analyze and draw conclusions. **


 * Benefits ** – How will the project address students’ needs and provide ongoing benefits? How will this project help the described student population. (200 words or less)
 * Since space is at a premium in space settlements, future colonists will need to use more efficient agriculture techniques than those used on Earth. Hydroponics has proven to be one such approach. Even though hydroponics does not require soil and takes up less space than normal methods, research has shown that plants grown hydroponically are often larger and healthier than plants grown normally. **


 * Through this hands-on investigation, my students will be actively engaged in the process of growing plants in hydroponic and soil system to compare each system. **


 * Implementation ** – Describe the implementation plan and schedule of activities. (200 words or less)
 * // Step 1: //**** Each student will investigate hydroponics through a webquest. **
 * // Step 2: //**** Students will then be divided into groups of 4 to build their hydroponics system and a comparison soil system **
 * // Step 3: //**** As the plants grow, each group will test the pH of the nutrient solution in their hydroponic system. They will also note the general appearance of the plants and measure the length of the leaves and height of the plant in both systems. Observations will be recorded in their Interactive Notebooks. They will also take pictures of each system on a daily basis. **
 * // Step 4: //**** After three and a half weeks, each group will take their plants out of the two systems and weigh them for a comparison. The leaves should be separated from the roots and allowed to dry before weighing. **
 * // Step 5: //**** Each group create a Hydroponic System Portfolio to will compare the data of their two systems. The will make graphs of their data, write an analysis of how their hydroponic system versus their soil system, and create a multimedia presentation of their findings to convince The International Space Station that hydroponics is the more efficient and effective way to grow plants in space. **
 * Creativity ** – Describe creative and innovative elements of the project. (200 words or less)
 * Hydroponics isn’t a new approach to the growing of plants, but in the future it may be very important. As soil and land resources of many areas on Earth are depleted, the growth of plants without soil may be a necessary technology. NASA has investigated hydroponics for several years as a potential method of growing plants without the need for soil. This could maximize the amount of living space available to space station inhabitants. **


 * Evaluation ** How will project outcomes be evaluated? How will you evaluate the success of the project? How will you report your results to Partners in Education? (200 words or less)
 * My students’ digital portfolios will be evaluated with the following rubric: **

All parts of the hydroponic system unit portfolio has been completed. || Approaches Standard Some parts of the hydroponic system unit portfolio has been completed. || Below Standard No parts of the hydroponic system unit portfolio has been completed ||  || Has created a complete hydroponic system design in unit portfolio. || Approaches Standard Has created the majority of a hydroponic system design in unit portfolio. || Below Standard Has created little to none of a hydroponic system design in unit portfolio. ||  || Has created a complete hydroponic system when given all individual parts. || Approaches Standard Has created a hydroponic system with 60% accuracy when given all individual parts. || Below Standard Has created a hydroponic system with 30% accuracy when given all individual parts. ||  || Has collected all required data throughout the unit and recorded it in unit portfolio. || Approaches Standard Has collected the majority of required data throughout the unit and recorded it in unit portfolio. || Below Standard Has collected some of required data throughout the unit and recorded it in unit portfolio. ||  || Collected data has been represented in unit portfolio in the form of a graph. || Approaches Standard Collected data has been represented in unit portfolio in some form other than a graph. || Below Standard Collected data is not represented in any form in the unit portfolio. ||  ||
 * ** Hydroponic Systems ** ||
 * || **Meets Standard**
 * 3 pts** || **Approaches Standard**
 * 2 pts** || **Below Standard**
 * 1 pts** ||  ||
 * ** Hydroponic System Portfolio ** || Meets Standard
 * ** Hydroponic System Design ** || Meets Standard
 * ** Hydroponic System Creation ** || Meets Standard
 * ** Data Collection ** || Meets Standard
 * ** Data Representation ** || Meets Standard


 * I will provide PIE will sample portfolios and they are more than welcome to visit use during the duration of our investigations. **

__** Subtotal **____$1214.20___
 * Budget and Funding **
 * ** Quantity ** || ** Description ** || ** Unit Cost ** || ** Total Cost ** || ** CON or NON **
 * * **** See Below ** ||
 * ** 1 ** || ** Classroom Hydroponic Plant Factory ** || ** 19.95 ** || ** 19.95 ** || ** NON ** ||
 * ** 1 ** || ** Hydroponic Basics ** || ** 4.95 ** || ** 4.95 ** || ** NON ** ||
 * ** 14 ** || ** Emily’s Garden Hydroponic System ** || ** 84.85 ** || ** 1,189.30 ** || ** NON ** ||
 * % Shipping __FREE__ **
 * 2nd Subtotal __$1214.20__ **
 * 7% Sales Tax __$85.00__ **
 * TOTAL __$1299.20__ **